


Behind these bars

by DrHannibalLecterMD



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Courtship, Hannibal is the ripper - Freeform, M/M, Season 2 AU, Will is imprisoned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 16:21:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14674848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrHannibalLecterMD/pseuds/DrHannibalLecterMD
Summary: Will is a serial killer, found out during his encephilitis. He has been jailed and declared legally insane. Still, it is not enough to keep Jack from using one of his best profilers, so he sends Hannibal Lecter to interview Will Graham to gets information on the Ripper.





	Behind these bars

**Author's Note:**

> This work was originally intended for the MHBB, but I missed the check in due to exams, so now you get the unfinished work early. A shame to miss out on, but University is more important unfortunately ;(
> 
> Many thanks to Fhimechan for the beta read!

“The Chesapeake Ripper is killing again,” Jack spoke, looking to Hannibal and Alana. “I want you to find him before his sounder of three finishes.”

As Hannibal sat there, a small look of concern on his face, he knew Jack would never catch him after calling him in to investigate his own crimes. It was too simple, to easy to fool the man and send him in the wrong direction, and poor Alana still viewed him as her mentor despite being a professional herself for almost a decade now. 

As for his kills, Hannibal already had the other 2 victims and had dealt with them, this weekend he would be hosting a dinner party and enjoying watching Jack wash down their latest victim with a sweet wine, preferably a Cabernet Sauvignon red to bring out the rich flavour after he had marinated the tough meat for so long to make it tender.

“I’m afraid we are exhausted Jack, we have no new insights and are running on the same old ones as before.” Alana spoke, sitting with her head hanging down when she could not perform the task that was assigned to her. Hannibal felt no pity for her though.

“I know, that’s why I’m sending both of you to interview Graham.”

“Graham, as in Will Graham.” Hannibal spoke, suddenly finding a new interest in the case. 

“Yes, despite what he has done,” There was a sigh from Jack as his hands came together on top of his desk. “I want you two to try and borrow his imagination for this case, his insight may help find new leads or bring us closer to the Ripper. Who knows, he may have known him and would now give names.”

“I believe when you discovered him that he did not give names, in fact, he took care of most other serial killers, brutally if I recall correctly.” Hannibal spoke calmly while moving to lean forward in his seat. “I’ve heard he has quite the reputation at the prison for making people uncomfortable with his empathy.”

“His empathy allows him to see others and he uses that to have fun and poke. We need someone who can go in who is hard to read and intelligent enough to stay on top of him; which is why I believe in sending you in Dr. Lecter.” Jack spoke as he delved into the bottom drawer of his desk looking for the whiskey bottle he hit within. “He would talk to Alana, but, it's more romantic and Chilton won’t allow it to happen.”

“I won’t do it Jack, Will was is my friend.” Crossing her arms, Alana tried to show she was defiant when Hannibal knew a few more pushes she would break. Alana cared about Will greatly, it was obvious to all.

“Is?” Hannibal asked, curious.

“His encephalitis is responsible for this, there is no way Will would have killed all those people if he wasn't sick, Jack.”

There was only a nod from Hannibal, he would be given the case file to read up on which would give him some information, but he was starting to become more interested in Will Graham, even more so that Jack believed he was capable of seeing the Ripper.

“We don’t know what he is capable of anymore Alana, when I was interviewing him he laughed and said he was too busy stealing dogs to have committed all the crimes he was accused of. I don’t think he has been taking this seriously even after his treatment.”

“Of course not because you made him sign a confession when he was sick Jack!” Alana said standing up enraged. “I won’t take part in this, you can put that on the record.” Heels clacked as she stormed from the office and slammed the door shut behind her. 

Jack sighed, he rummaged in the draws to find Will’s case file, it was a macabre token to remind him of why he can’t trust the omega anymore. “Chilton Will help you when you arrive, I already set up the appointment for you, I knew Dr bloom would not agree with this. 

When the file was taken out and hand over, Hannibal was surprised at how thin it was for what Will had been accused of. “I’ll see what I can do Jack, though I make no promises.”

“An effort is better than none at all.” Jack grumbled as he took out whiskey. “Funny enough, Will brought me this bottle, but when I get to the bottom of the glass, the same question always remains… Why.”

Hannibal decided not to answer, only a nod of his head as he stood and left the office, Jack pouring the glass and sipping on the whiskey.

-

Will Graham was an anomaly in society for an omega. Where most were nurturing, empathetic and caring, Will was not. At least from the pictures of his murders he seemed to be the complete opposite. 

This was why Hannibal was pleased to make his acquaintance. If Will Graham is as intelligent as people say he is, Hannibal wants to be there to put a pause on the investigation, to shift it in another direction. There is no desire whatsoever to be captured or held accountable for his artwork, or what others would call his crimes. 

When Hannibal arrives at the BSHCI there is a gentle autumn breeze that makes a few leaves on a nearby tree rustle, breaking off finally as the yellow and red leaves glide gracefully through the air before touching the ground softly. Hannibal moves forward, the crunch of leaves under his feet reminding him on human bones breaking, the image appears in his mind, shoulders popping from their sockets, fractures caused by the brute force used on the bones. The tendons weakly sitting there useless now. Though most of the bodies he works on now are dead, the fresh bodies are just as malleable as the live ones he used to work on and repair. 

“Ah, Hannibal,” Frederick Chilton greats him, cane to the side being turned in his hand as he tries to put on a brave show having just returned after Abel Gideon disemboweled him. “I heard you were on the way to meet my prized patient. A true psychopath if I’m being honest.”

“Is that what you are calling him?” Hannibal mused, letting Chilton lead him to the visitor sign in. Once he was handed his badge, he stuck it on the front, a reminder of why he was better than other killers. 

“If it wasn’t for the encephalitis, perhaps we may have never caught him, but lucky for us he was declared legally insane because of it.” Chilton smiled. “I intend to write an article on his empathy, the remarkable visual memory Graham has for his murders and others killers. But as they say, it takes one to catch one.”

“Will Graham worked alone did he not, his victims normally other murderers that had either evaded justice or were not discovered by law enforcement as of yet.” Despite the file being thin Hannibal had read between lines to pick up on some subtlety, even going and reviewing cases Will had worked on through Freddie Lounds website. The displays had been careless, unconcerned with posture and appearance, it was the act itself that seemed the most liberating of all. There was true savagery, justice delivered in a way that the other could not avoid a true punishment for their crimes against others. Will Graham seemed more like a vigilante for the victims than a true killer.

Chilton stood, looking at Hannibal for a second as he seemed to think he had more knowledge. “He is my patient, Dr Lecter. Getting his opinion on the Chesapeake Ripper is futile, he hardly talks to me or the staff, when he does he has quite the morbid sense of humor that chills everyone or uses his empathy against them.” Chilton stopped outside wooden doors, two guards there standing by them and watching the conversation.

“Jack Crawford and the FBI have requested I talk to him regardless. I won’t be perturbed by petty remarks.” Hannibal spoke.

“I won’t let you show him the pictures, god knows what he will do with them.” Chilton spoke as he held out his hand.

Instead of handing over the file, Hannibal took the pictures out of the thick folder himself, a moment before he handed them over carefully to avoid leaving fingerprints on the gloss finish of his work. 

“You have an hour, Hannibal No more.” Chilton spoke as he let Hannibal enter the room.

-

The moment the doors opens and that impending presence is there, Will knows it is an alpha who has entered. He doesn’t need to scent the air, this man carries his authority. Others would have shrunk back, too afraid to move forward with how confident the man stepped across the room. But Will stood tall, undisturbed and more curious as to why Jack believed this man was able to extract information from him. None had so far and this would be no different.

“Professor Graham,” Hannibal started, there was a pause to gauge Will’s reaction. “My name is Dr. Hannibal Lecter. A pleasure to meet you.”

“Hello Dr. Lecter,” Eyes glanced over the shoes, custom made along with the alpha’s suit. He inhaled, making it obvious he was scenting the air. “Odd that Jack sends an unmated alpha in to interview me. Sounds more like a blind date if you ask me.”

“A pity I can not cook for you then, it would have been a great pleasure for me,” There was an obvious smile to his lips now, eyes softer as his interest in Will Graham became more than simple conversations. “Unfortunately, my topic is more unsavory.”

The file in question was held up for Will too see, the smirk was unexpected. 

“Murder seems to attract certain types of individuals,” Will handballs back, turning on the charm while trying to make the doctor’s confidence shake. Nothing happens though and it seems Hannibal has more of an intense focus on him now than before. “Perhaps it is unsavory for most, but I’m sure you and I would enjoy sinking our teeth into it.” There is a glint in Hannibal’s eye that betrays him, a curve of lips that reveals sharp teeth. Whatever lurks below the exterior of the well-polished alpha has just met Will’s own beast and seems to preen about being seen. Given how calm the doctor is, in control of the situation, he can see why the man has not been caught. He can tell from the alpha’s confident stance that he hunts, but there is something he is still missing.

As Hannibal approaches the shoot to Will’s cell, his eyes do not leave Will’s own, enraptured by those sweet innocent blues that are so far from what they pretend to be. The file is placed into the shoot and pushed through. “Jack Crawford would have sent the photos but-”

“Chilton thinks I would sit here and jack off to them, he hardly understands how the criminal minds work. He is more interested in sexual causes than anything else.” His nose upturns slightly at the thought of taking himself in his hands and getting off on any scene. 

“I’m more curious as to why you refer to me as professor, Dr. Lecter. Technically when I was incarcerated my titles were stripped. I am no longer a teacher of anything.” The file is still sitting in the shoot, Will has not agreed to anything about it, but Hannibal has been sure he would read it. 

“Yet here you are teaching me about this killer, or so I hope.” Hannibal says simply, still gazing at Will’s eyes.

“Flattery will get you nowhere doctor. Not on me. Before I came here, I would avoid people’s eyes all the time. It’s difficult when you see too much.” 

“You build forts in the bone arena of your skull, to protect yourself.” The tilt of Hannibal’s head shows his neck, seeing what it would bring out in the killer omega before him. 

“I’m hardly the one that needs protecting, doctor. As you are aware,” Teeth were bared slightly, though he had never bitten or caused harm to his victims with his teeth. The gesture was all the same for Hannibal trying to play him. There was a silent nod to the files, Will agreeing for he was curious what he would learn, what the Ripper was up to, to also keep the doctor around as well to learn more about him. Hannibal was difficult to read, but the minute gestures were becoming clearer.

“Quite, I take it you would like some privacy to go over the files.” The shoot was pushed, rattling loudly as the files went through to the otherside. “I can only afford you an hour I’m afraid.”

“Enough time to go over this and have some notes for you.” Will agreed, curious to learn more about the doctor and to have him return. “Perhaps you could convince Chilton to let me have the photos with that silver tongue of yours,” Will spoke, taking the files and going over to his bed. He sat, looking up at Hannibal for a moment before he began to read. 

Staying silent, Hannibal left, once the doors closed behind him, Chilton approached.

“It seems you have quite the rapport with Will Graham.” Chilton sauntered and stood next to Hannibal, test in his hands that were there to catch Hannibal’s attention. “Perhaps when you have finished you could get him to do these tests for me, in return, I’ll let you bring the pictures next time.”

“I can suggest that Will completes the tests, but what he does with them is completely up to himself, I can not force him to do something he does not wish Frederick.” Taking the tests, he skimmed through the pile and selected one, the inkblot test and a sheet to write down the answers. A boring test for Will, considering his intelligence and vast imagination.

“You seemed fairly comfortable with him, though for a man that enjoys puns, he may have a particular taste to your dinner jokes.” 

“My dinner parties are the least formal events in which I meet most of my colleagues and friends outside of work. I do not often grace people a second chances to join me at the table,”

There was a bristle from the beta, eyes meeting again for a brief moment before he said goodbye and went back to his office. Hannibal headed to a chair to sit and wait, folding the tests into different origami arrangements. A dog, a flower and a heart. The best he could offer for now to court the omega behind bars ensuring these would not be taken from him. Anyone else would see them as beautiful for a different meaning, but Will would know. He wondered what he would receive in return if the offer to court was opened.

-

“These murders are not sexual,” Will started, watching Hannibal walk into the room again, hands behind his back. “But you were aware of that… The Chesapeake Ripper… Even for as long as he has been around and killing, I don’t know who he is to name names, nor would I want to. He tends to do the police’s work at times. Those he kills were not often held in good regard or were quite rude.” It was in the reports, the family statements and friends, between the lines that Will read.

“And what of the bodies, the missing organs?” Hannibal cut straight to the chase before any suspicion could be directed to him now that Will knew they were both predators in a sense. The evidence was there, before him, smiling. It takes one to catch one. “Why does he take them.”

“Many killers have taken trophies before, Dahmer took the heads of men to use for sex after they were dead. A true necrophiliac, but not the Ripper. He has alternative motives, sudden and unplanned in a way, yet his crime scenes are methodical and timeless beauties. It is like stepping back in time to watch Michelangelo work on David, the level of devotion to the final image is breathtaking.” Will spoke as he read the file still. “I’ve seen the pictures, before I was arrested. I even attended a scene.”

“Jack Crawford called you in for the wound man, you fell apart six months after but not before the trainee Miriam Lass went missing. You were suspected at first, before  it was clear that she went for the Ripper.” It had come from background research into Will Graham, Freddie Lounds had gone above and beyond when Will was caught to show how incompetent the FBI was.

“Miriam Lass bit off more than she could chew, and told no one how or what leads she was working on, so following her trail led to dead ends. However she found the Ripper, he made sure to cover it so it wouldn’t happen again.” Will narrowed his eyes at Hannibal. “Miriam Lass is likely still alive somewhere being manipulated by the Ripper. He wouldn’t let someone who caught him run away so easily and she’d be too highly prized to kill. No, he likes the power, the ability he has over Jack Crawford. But he believes her to be dead, no matter what I think.”

“What makes you believe she is being manipulated?” Hannibal pushed, curious. 

“The Ripper has a background in medicine, it was how he earnt the name. Like Jack the Ripper, though there is more elegance to him than merely tossing a few prostitutes onto the street severed and degraded. He has a background or knowledge of the arts, but there is a psychological element to him. He may well be the most intelligent killer that is yet to be caught.” Will spoke, standing from his seat as he collected the files and moved to the glass. “Half of the information in this file you knew already. Don’t play games with me doctor, you may be wearing a well-tailored suit, but I see what lurks underneath. You and I are alike in some ways.”

“Not quite, you don’t quite have my appetite.” Hannibal mused, watching Will’s eyebrows shoot up, the knowledge of what happened to victims sinking in. 

“Sweetbreads, kidney pie and ‘sheep’ brains are not my typical diet, you must have quite the talent in the kitchen.” The files were placed into the shoot, a shove as the metal grated and went to the other side. Will knew enough about cooking to think of some of the recipes Hannibal could have come up with.

Taking the files out, Hannibal placed the origami into the shoot for Will. The inkblot gave it a speckled color, more defining to them. “Dr. Chilton informs me you are difficult to test.”

The shoot was pushed through, Will coming over to the otherside to take out what had been put in. 

“Perhaps next time you may be kind enough to humor him.” Hannibal finished with a smirk, watching Will’s face carefully. 

Picking up the origami, Will examined them, pausing at the dog before he looked back at Hannibal with a smirk. “I’m curious to know what you cooking tastes like.”

“One day you may be lucky enough to find out, would you join me at the table?” 

“Yes… A pity I can not provide the meat for you.” There was a slight smirk to Will’s lips as he longed to provide his own acceptance for the courting gifts. “Maybe one day,”

“Maybe… A pleasure to meet you, Will.” Hannibal gave a small bow, returning the smirk and knowing his gifts were accepted, he needed to go and think about plans on what to do with Will. A prison was hardly the place to court the omega.

 


End file.
